After hundreds of miles of sagebrush desert, the Eastern Sierra soar 10,000 feet all at once. Peaks truly loom. Heads must be thrown back to take it all in. U.S. 395, California’s other great highway drive (aside from the stunning Highway 1), traces this vertiginous meeting of desert and mountains. From Lone Pine to Reno, every turnoff seems to shelter another wonder: The ghost town of Bodie. Mt. Whitney. The world’s oldest trees. The tufa towers at Mono Lake. The 60-foot basalt columns at Devils Postpile. And, starting in September, glimmering, shimmering fall foliage that rivals anything in New England. Pack up your car and get ready for the still-wild West on this unforgettable Eastern Sierras trip.
